In case you missed it, recently Kareem Abdul-Jabbar complained that a statue of himself had not been erected outside of the Lakers’ Staples Center. Columnist T.J. Simers wondered what one of Abdul-Jabbar’s mentors, John Wooden, might have said, were he still here. From Simers’ column:

There’s no argument Kareem deserves a statue, but how petty and unbecoming is it to have the model for such a statue arguing what’s the delay?

What would John Wooden have said — the question submitted to a friend?

“Goodness gracious, sakes alive, Lewis, be humble,” came the email reply, a quick check to make sure it wasn’t being sent from heaven.com.